A Long Way from Texas
by Yours-Unkindly
Summary: What happens when Tim Riggins finds himself in Tree Hill?
1. Chapter 1

**INTRO: Fanfic crossover where Tim Riggins of Friday Night Lights moves to Tree Hill. Timeline is a little off. Assume Tim is the same age as the Tree Hill Gang. See how Tim's life changes when he moves to Tree Hill. Appearances by characters from both series. No Julian.**

It was the summer of 2011 when Tim Riggins moved to Tree Hill. He had just completed a one year stay in prison for his part in the running of his older brother, Billy's, chop shop.

Tim had been out of jail for just a few months when he realized that there was nothing for him in Texas. His best friend, Jason Street had moved to New York with his family. The first love of his life, Tyra Collette had moved on and gone to college, and his second, Lyla Garrity, had done the same. Billy had a wife and a son, with another baby on the way. Even Coach Taylor had left, moving to Pennsylvania and joining a new football team. Everybody Tim loved was gone and he did not fit in.

He could not go back to work at Billy's garage, it would be too weird at this point. Working for Mr. Garrity was an option, but he hated the assholes that came into his bar. There was no way to get a real job due to his lack of a college degree.

It hit Tim hard when he realized it was time to leave his beloved Texas. There was a point in his life not that long ago when the state held everything he needed. Football, family, friends, and beer. Those four things had helped Tim make it this far, and they were quickly fading away.

Football ended when Tim dropped out of college. He coached a little bit afterwards but it was not the same.

Since taking the fall for Billy in the chop shop ordeal, the two had grown more distant. Tim was staying in a trailer on the other side of town, and his visits grew less and less frequent. Aside from Billy he really had no family. His mother had run off when they were younger and their dad did the same.

All of Tim's friends were gone. Jason, Lyla, Tyra, Matt, all moved on. It seemed like everyone knew that this whole idea he had of Texas forever was some big joke, and he was the only one who never saw it.

That just left beer. A lot of beer. Tim was the kind of guy who fell into heavy drinking binges when he was alone, and this was one of those times. He drank until he passed out everyday for about two weeks and then came to a decision. It was time to leave Dillon, Texas once and for all.

There was not much he had to do before leaving. Everything Tim owned fit in his truck and he did not really have anyone to say goodbye to. He thought about going to see Billy one last time, but instead wrote him a letter. Writing that letter was one of the hardest things Tim ever had to do. How could he tell the man who raised him that he was not good enough to keep Tim from leaving? It took him a few days to put the words on paper. When the letter was finally complete, it read,

Dear Billy,

I really can't think of a better way to do this. I'm leaving Dillon. Thanks for everything you've done for me. Maybe I'll see you around some time.

Tim.

Tim felt really horrible about leaving things like that, but he did not want to give Billy a chance to convince him to stay. He drove by the house late at night, stuffed the paper in the mailbox, and quickly drove away. He drove away and never looked back. Tim drove all through the night with no destination in mind.

Tim saw all kinds of places he had never seen before. He stopped in various towns and cities, mostly to drink. Some nights he would rent hotels, some nights he would sleep in his truck. Occasionally Tim would meet girls and spend the night with them. None of them meant anything to him. They were not Tyra. They were not Lyla.

Tim made stops in New Orleans, Mobile, Atlanta, and took in all they had to offer, but none of them felt like home. He was not going to stop until he found a place that gave him what Dillon used to.

It had been about two weeks since the trip started when Tim crossed into North Carolina. He drove right along the coast and eventually found a town to stay in for the night. The town was called Tree Hill and it was the definition of small town. At the time, Tim thought nothing of the place and figured it would just be another stop on his journey. He parked his truck in front of a café, lay down across the seat and drifted slowly off to sleep.

That night Tim dreamed of the past. He imagined himself back in a Dillon Panthers football uniform, saw himself kissing Lyla behind the bleachers, and thought of Billy.

He was suddenly awoken by the sound of tapping on his truck window. He groggily opened his eyes, struggling to see in the blinding morning sunlight. The guy at the window had short, sandy blonde hair and had a puzzled look on his face. Tim rolled down the window.

"Hey, what are you doing here man?" asked the man on the sidewalk.

"Uh, sorry. I was just passing through and couldn't find anywhere to crash," answered Tim, still half asleep.

"So you picked right on Main Street?" the man questioned.

"Uh, yeah I guess I did," Tim said back.

"Well why don't you come inside and have some breakfast before you 'pass through?'"

"Yeah, I guess I could do that."

"I'm Lucas by the way."

"Tim."


	2. Chapter 2

Tim crawled out of his car and started to walk with Lucas towards the building in front of them. He glanced up as they came to the door and noticed the name: Karen's Café.

"It used to be my mom's place," Lucas shared as he noticed Tim reading the sign.

Tim said nothing back. The two men walked inside and Lucas cleared a spot at the bar for Tim and poured him a cup of coffee. Lucas stood behind the counter and looked at Tim closely.

"So what can I get you?" Lucas asked.

Tim looked at the placemat menu for a brief second. "Just some scrambled eggs. Maybe a side of bacon."

"Scrambled eggs and maybe a side of bacon, coming right up," Lucas answered as he walked into the kitchen to start Tim's meal.

Tim took a long look around the dining room. A little boy who looked a lot like Lucas sat with presumably his parents in a corner booth. Most of the other tables were filled with families, fully engaged in their breakfast. As he took note of the various people in the room, he noticed a girl sitting in the opposite corner by herself. She had shoulder length dark brown hair and a light complexion and a birthmark on her right cheek. There was a softness about her face. In her hand she held a pencil and a sketch pad sat on the table in front of her. She would scratch out some lines, furrow her brow, occasionally shake her head, and then do some erasing. Periodically she would sip on her coffee, but otherwise she was totally focused on her work. Tim wondered what she was drawing, and he admired He could not take his eyes off of her, even as Lucas was trying to get his attention.

"Hey, Tim? You in there?" Lucas asked as he waved his left hand in front of Tim's face, holding his plate in his right hand.

"Huh? Oh, thanks man. Appreciate it." Tim picked up a fork and started to go to work on the mountain of eggs that sat before him. Every once and a while he would look over at the girl in the corner.

Lucas noticed Tim's glances, but said nothing. He did not want to call the guy out on staring at Brooke less than twenty minutes after meeting him. Instead, he decided to find out a little bit about this stranger. "So what brings you to Tree Hill, Tim?"

"Like I said," Tim mumbled as he looked up, "I was just passing through." He took a bite of his bacon and a long sip of coffee. Tim was more interested in Brooke than in anything Lucas had to say. He was quiet and noncommittal as it was, and he was not interested in opening up to this stranger.

"No offense, but not too many people just _pass through_ Tree Hill. It's not exactly on the beaten path. You kind of have to be looking for it to find it," Lucas responded skeptically.

"No seriously, man. I was just driving and I happened to be out front there when I decided to call it a night." Tim had slept out in front of dozens of storefronts since he started his journey, and no one had said a word. _Why does this guy give a damn where I'm from?_ Tim wondered.

"All right I'll take your word for it. Where were you coming from?"

"I was just rolling through South Carolina."

"Hm. Well are you from down there?"

Tim thought for a moment and then said, "I'm a little southwest of there."

"Like how far southwest?" _Who is this guy? And what has he got to be so mysterious about, _Lucas wondered. He noticed a hardness about Tim. He looked like a man who was scarred and afraid. His dark hair hung over his face in a tangled mess of knots down to his shoulders. He had deep bags under his eyes and smelled like a hangover.

"Ever heard of Dillon, Texas?"

"You're from Texas, and you found your way to Tree Hill, North Carolina? You're a long way from home, Tim."

"I guess I did. And yeah I am," Tim said quietly. He turned around one more time and as he did, made eye contact with Brooke. He looked her right in the eye and flashed his trademark smirk. She smiled back and blushed before quickly looking away, brushing her hair off of her face as she did it. Tim finished up his eggs, took a last sip of coffee, and then threw five dollars down on the counter. "Hey, uh, thanks a lot for the food, man. Everything was real good." He thought for a brief moment before adding, "You know where a guy can get a room around here?

"I thought you were just passing through."

Tim kept his eyes locked on Brooke, who was still looking down at her sketches. "I think I might stick around a while."


End file.
